Mourinho will not wait for England call as Spanish lurk

Jose Mourinho is said to be open to offers from the FA, but they have yet to contact him regarding the vacant England post. Photograph by Richard Heathcote/PA Pictures.

The Football Association have still not spoken with Jose Mourinho about the post of England coach and are running an increasing risk of losing the people's favourite for the vacant position to club football. While Mourinho has spent much of the past week discussing with friends the pros and cons of returning to English football and is increasingly excited by the prospect of resurrecting the national team, he is not prepared to wait indefinitely for the FA to make a direct approach.

Barcelona and Real Madrid have made clear to Mourinho their interest in employing him and are waiting for the right moment to replace their current coaches. With Real a game away from missing out on the Champions League knockout stages and Barcelona unhappy with Frank Rijkaard, a change could take place before the end of this month.

Wary of revisiting the errors that led to Steve McClaren's appointment in 2006, the FA have handed responsibility for candidate selection to chief executive Brian Barwick and Sir Trevor Brooking, their director of football development. To date the pair have elected to engage in a semi-formal consultation process with senior figures in domestic and international football rather than speak directly to potential appointees such as Mourinho and Fabio Capello, who last week unsuccessfully attempted to arrange a meeting with Barwick.

An FA spokesman said: 'No [candidate] has been spoken to by either Brian or Trevor Brooking - who are responsible for identifying the new manager - and we are not putting any time scale on when we will.'

There have, though, been further indirect attempts to sound out Mourinho. The 44-year-old has been called by his former Chelsea players, asking permission to pass his new phone number on to individuals claiming to act on behalf of the FA. Mourinho, who has resolved not to talk publicly about his intentions until he has spoken with the FA, declined, saying that he did not wish to talk through third parties.

Barwick updated the full FA board on the consultation process during a meeting on Thursday. According to a board source, discussion of the selection process was brief and Mourinho's name was not mentioned. 'If someone really wants this job and are of the right quality we will get them,' said the source. 'If they are unsure about it, they should go elsewhere.'

While there is a suspicion among certain FA board members that Mourinho is merely using the FA's interest to leverage offers from a Spanish or Italian club, such doubts are wide of the mark. 'That is crazy,' said a close confidant. 'Jose does not need England to get a job - he knows the jobs are there for him and it is just a matter of timing. To say he has to make a decision between a Spanish club and England is more accurate. He is genuinely interested in becoming England manager, but if the FA want him they will need to be quick.'

Mourinho has been impressed by public calls for the FA to approach him and is eager to have the question posed to him directly. 'We talk about it every day,' a friend said. He has begun discussing outline strategies for leading the national team with his assistants. Wherever Mourinho is next employed, assistant coach Rui Faria, tactical scout Andre Villas Boas and goalkeeping coach Silvino Louro will go with him. Steve Clarke and Baltemar Brito, his other main assistants at Chelsea, would be invited according to the position and their personal circumstances. Clarke last month agreed a significantly improved contract at Stamford Bridge, but he has not been guaranteed his salary beyond the end of this season.

Tom Hicks has denied claims that a rift with George Gillett, his fellow co-owner of Liverpool, has led to him considering selling his stake in the club, describing reports as 'rubbish'. 'George and I have never been closer. Owning Liverpool has been great.' The American suggested that the row with Rafael Benitez, which cast doubt on the future of the manager, had been resolved. 'It's been a big misunderstanding blown out of proportion. George and I are happy to see that it has settled back down.'

In Italy, AC Milan remain without a home win in Serie A after being held to a goalless draw by Juventus. The game was moved to Saturday as Milan play their final Champions League group match - against Celtic at the San Siro - this Tuesday, due to their Club World Cup commitments.

Real Madrid captain Raul scored twice as the Spanish league leaders beat Racing Santander 3-1 at the Bernabeu. The striker gave Real an early lead with a neat finish after a well worked counterattack and scored their third with a rare goal from a free-kick midway through the second half. Barcelona were held to a 1-1 draw in their derby at Espanyol

Werder Bremen moved to the summit in Germany for at least 24 hours thanks to a 2-1 home victory over Hamburg. Bayern Munich will return to the top if they beat Arminia Bielefeld today.